The Mercer Island Polar Bear Club will welcome in the new year on Saturday at noon at Clarke Beach, when a group of 20 to 50 people will brave the chilly waters of Lake Washington. Organizer Nile Clarke said this is the oldest Polar Bear Club in the area, with the first plunge in 1968.
Mercer Island police are continuing to investigate a string of burglaries which are connected to the crash of a small van into a Mercer Island residence on Thursday night, Dec. 23.
MIPD Public Information Officer Leslie Burns said considerable damage was done to the home in the 5600 block of 84th Avenue S.E. The occupants of the home were upstairs and therefore unharmed.
It was just another day of business as usual for Chris Foss of Foss Appraisal Services as he prepared for an estate sale at the Mercer Island home of Dr. James W. and Karen Phillips, both deceased. Dr. Phillips died in 1998; his wife died about three months ago. They had no children.
A typical estate sale usually includes china, small collectibles, art, antiques and silver.
Occupants of the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island followed security protocol Wednesday night when a second-floor window was broken out with what turned out to be nothing more than rocks.
“We erred on the side of precaution,” said Judy Newman, executive director of the Stroum JCC.
In what seems like a project of epic proportion, 200 teenagers, 14 chaperones and one band leader are on their way to London to march in the New Year’s Day Parade.
Band leader Parker Bixby said equipment logistics is the single biggest piece of the equation; everything from a saxophone and larger is being shipped via UPS — 165 pieces total. Bixby estimates that 2,000 pounds of equipment is being shipped.
From left, Mary Vacchiery, Nell Hiemstra, Adah Edwards and Jan McKinney enjoy wrapping gifts at Island House Dec. 21. The…
The challenge to think like little scientists or budding engineers was met head-on by Team Megabots in the FIRST LEGO League regionals on Saturday, Dec. 4, in Seattle. The team competed against 26 other teams from the Seattle area.
Team Megabots, which consists of Lakeridge Elementary students: Allison Bunker, Fletcher Doren, Will Frohlich, Bob Kaplan, Nathaniel Nichol and Aedan Tien, walked off with the big prize, The Champions Award, for their creation: iglasses, a device to assist the blind.
Charge Northwest is the company installing public charging stations for electric cars in Bellevue and would love to do the same on Mercer Island.
Due to the present budget crunch here, the city cannot match funds as required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant. The program, called ChargePoint America, is made possible by the ARRA. Jim Blaisdell of Charge Northwest said the program is targeting places where the newer Ford Focus, Chevy Volt, Ford Transit and the Smart Car are all selling rapidly.
As of Jan. 1, Mary Wayte Pool will be the property of the Mercer Island School District.
“We now have a pool,” said Superintendent Gary Plano after the vote.
Facing the loss of its current pool operator in just a few weeks, the MISD board of directors voted unanimously to approve a new agreement with Olympic Cascade Aquatics to maintain and operate the pool, at their regularly scheduled board meeting on Dec. 16.
The Community Center at Mercer View turned 5 years old this month with a daylong celebration on Dec. 16.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are normal days for the Senior Social Program, which dates back 16 years — to the days of the old center, which was at the same location. In one room, a group of serious bridge players convened. When asked how she liked the new center, Vicki Reddy said she likes it because it’s light and warm and a nice place to get together.
A traffic accident at the intersection of Island Crest Way and Merrimount Drive briefly held up traffic on Wednesday, Dec. 15, around 3 p.m.
A small school bus with one child passenger was struck by a vehicle. The bus was attempting to turn left from Island Crest Way onto Merrimount, as the driver of the vehicle was turning right onto Island Crest Way and hit the bus.
Ellen Davey speaks softly with the accent she still has from her native Finland. Yet Finland was a long time ago.
Davey will turn 99 today, Dec. 15, quite a milestone for anyone. She will celebrate with friends at dinner at Ivar’s Salmon House on Lake Union, where she goes each year, as it extends a free meal to her every year on her birthday.
We have all seen the home at the corner of S.E. 24th Street and West Mercer Way on our way back from Seattle via the West Mercer Way exit. It’s a newer home, built up high off the street. Its view is dead on with the I-90 bridge and the city lights across the lake. Yet after being lived in for barely a year or two, the home is now empty, the grass untouched. What happened?
